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I like spending as much time as I can outdoors, even if it is just sitting somewhere and writing, so I love house designs which minimize the separation between indoor and outdoor spaces. This tiny house, designed by cc-studio of Amsterdam is a great example of this. It’s called Thoreau’s Cabin, to honor American author Henry David Thoreau, and it is basically an off-the-grid shelter with a wood-burning stove and large sliding doors dominating most of its walls. This opens it up to the surrounding nature and it would make for a great cabin, home office or even a tiny home.

Thoreau’s Cabin was built in a 5,900-acre (2,387-hectare) park in Utrecht, Netherlands, in place of an old cottage that stood there since the 1960s. The cabin is used mostly to store supplies used by park workers and volunteers, while it also offers a cozy and dry shelter for them.

The cabin has an aluminum roof, while the exterior cladding is also made from this material. The interior walls are clad in natural wood. The cabin has a usable floor space of 452 sq ft (42 sq m). The majority of this is taken up by the living area, though there is also a kitchenette, a bedroom, and a laundry/storage room. There is no toilet or bathroom though.

Thoreau’s Cabin functions completely off-the-grid. Water can be drawn from a nearby well, while running water in the kitchen is available via a small pump that draws it from a small tank in the kitchen cabinet. The wood-burning stove provides heating, while with the large sliding doors offer great ventilation in the summer. The cabin was built last year, and definitely represents a great way of erasing the line between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Judging from the photo above you would probably never guess that this lovely cabin is actually an RV, and that it can be towed to pretty much anywhere on a whim. The timber-clad Escape cottage measures 400 square feet, and is the right weight and size to be considered an RV. It was designed as a portable house on wheels, but can also easily become a permanent home for the owners.

Since the Escape cottage was primarily dseigned as a full time home, it is handcrafted from the best and most sustainable materials, while it also has a minimal impact wherever you place it and almost no carbon footprint. The entire cottage is made of recyclable or sustainable growth materials and consumes very little power. The cottage is also constructed following quality home construction guidelines, namely:

Charles Finn is equal parts woodsmith and wordsmith, a quite inspiring combination. As a self-taught woodworker, author, and freelance writer, he is known for his work with the High Desert Journal and contribution to Lloyd Kahn’s “Tiny Homes, Simple Shelter” book. However, we are not here for his literary accomplishments – Finn is also known around the world for his tiny microhomes inspired by Japanese tea houses.

Born and raised in Vermont, Finn spent several years in Japan and fell in love with the tea house designs. This led to him living in a 7

Whether your home is in need of a small studio space, office, or extra guest bedroom, Austin, Texas-based Kanga Room Systems is the perfect portable option. The modern, eco-friendly buildings are designed with portability in mind, and are custom-made to fit your existing home with bathroom, kitchenette, and multiple room options.

Prices for a Kanga Room System range from $7,150 to $15,500, with size options between 8’x10’ and 14’x24’. Each one comes with a treated skids foundation, EPDM roof membrane, galvanized fascia flashing, cedar accent siding, a metal door with full lite glass, and several other unique features made of quality materials.

The system is shipped right to your home from Texas as a kit, where you or a contractor can assemble it. Kanga uses eco-conscious, sustainable, and energy-efficient materials whenever possible, and they are always customizable for specific aesthetic or environmental needs.